There are lots of great, amazing and shocking shop windows. To see Harvey Nichols I just couldn't make up my mind and didn’t know what to say. This excellent technical installation reminded me of something from my childhood nightmares.

On my last trip to Hong Kong, I came across a great idea how to get customer interaction. Every customer can create his/her own campaign for the Lane Craftwork brand and the lucky ones will be awarded.

The location of brand communications should be planned around customer flow within the store. Here in a Beijing store, the creative use of the roof of a kiosk under the escalator works just as well as posters at eye level.

The element of surprise or something unexpected is a current trend being spotted in London, New York and even Seoul as seen above. It’s an effective way to stand out from the clutter of other discounts promotions, etc.

In Seoul, native company Samsung dominates the retail landscape and can be seen almost everywhere. Samsung reaches the masses in the subway (Seoul subway internet is free) as well as at the point of sale in retail locations. Here we see an example of the latter at CEOX, the largest underground shopping center in Seoul.

In the Indian district in Singapore, everything about retail happens right on the street. You can have a suit custom made, take time out to enjoy one of the many local foods or just browse and enjoy the atmosphere.

Of course, there’s not a lot of “window shopping” going on: instead, products are out on display to touch and try them. Just as you can in the very successful APPLE stores throughout the world and where staff are having fun as they give you advise and help you experience anything your eyes behold. It’s also the same idea at NORDSTROM who raised the bar on the retail experience with their exceptional customer service.

Finally, all of the products and services offered in the Indian district are purely local. And to make another comparison to a global giant, while LULU LEMON’s products may not be local, they have always focused on the ”local approach” by tying store activities and communications to the local interests of its customers.

There are many ways retailers can make shopping a great customer experience. Many, like in the Indian District, have been around for some time and it is only a matter of rediscovering these ways that we can reinvigorate the shopping experience.

China is a country of great food and unlimited possibilities - but also the glaring contrasts. On one side of the street you find a super modern shopping center, on the other a celebratory showcase of Big Mao photographs. One day it’s as if time has stood still, on another you feel like you are walking the fourth millennium city.

One example of such interesting contrasts is the Audi auto salon in the Oriental Plaza Hotel downtown Beijing. Just take your shopping cart to the Audi store, between visits to the drugstore and pharmacy, and take an Audi with you!

Passers-by can´t miss this Louis Vuitton product display in Seoul. This attractive "swarm" of arrows immediately focuses a customer’s gaze on the product. Believe it or not, I noticed that at LV on Paris street in Prague, they are taking the merchandise out of the display! Why? Because with luxury brands becoming almost a scarce commodity, they need every item available for sale inside the store! A good problem to have?

In Hong Kong, a short walk from Times Square, at a commercial center of the same name, I came across an excellent interactive display.

The speed and number of stock market transactions determines the size, color and density of the elements. All happening in real time - this was a fascinating and dynamic design. I witnessed something similar this year at the Lincoln Center in New York where a wall display with various elements informed viewers about the current situation in the city, including information on traffic congestion, the flow of people etc..

Such unconventional and topical displays are really engaging and could be used effectively in retail. Today’s demanding customer would experience something different every time he enters the store. That makes the store much more attractive to thim.

I love good food, and Prague has nothing to be ashamed of compared to other major cities. New cuisine varieties are appearing and the overall quality of service is increasing. Unfortunately though, restaurants are not as good at communicating as they are at cooking. One of the exceptions is Ambi, which really stands out from the crowd. I found their inspirational approach in Singapore, where the whole brand philosophy is built on a plain burger. I also appreciate their interesting creative approach.

Mobile operator SingTel has a digital store offering mainly data services in Singapore. As a market leader, SingTel focuses on the quality of communication to the customers. You can try out all the latest products, and staff are ready to answer any question. When we visited, however, we couldn’t connect to the internet! Surprising when WIFI is available almost everywhere these days, even at the pastry shop on the square in Podebrady.

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